My Sweet Fracture
by kaytea1224
Summary: With Ashley in England, between Ellie and Angie's new babysitter, Veronica Carpenter, and writing music for Kevin Smith's movie, Craig definitely has a busy Summer ahead. But what will his senior year bring him? Takes place after Goin' Down the Road (4x22) and partially before Venus (5x01).
1. Chapter 1

**My Sweet Fracture.**

 **One;**

 _Like a deer in headlights I won't know what hit me._

 _(Running From Lions-All Time Low)_

Sixteen year old Craig Manning stomped his way down the stairs with the cordless phone in hand. His girlfriend, Ashley Kerwin was supposed to call at seven a.m. Toronto time. However, it's almost nine thirty and it's been radio silent. Much like Ashley has been since she left for England four days ago. He rounded the corner and sat the phone down on the nearest table. When he wasn't writing music for Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh, or waiting for Ashley to call, he found new friendship in Ellie Nash. She was Ashley's best friend and his current rock while Ashley was away. But he couldn't rely on her forever.

He sat the phone down on the closest table and looked into the kitchen. For a brief moment, he could've sworn the red headed girl standing at the sink was Ellie until she turned around with a cup in her hand. She was taller and had lighter red hair as opposed to Ellie. His step sister, Angie was laughing as she paraded around the kitchen and there was no sign of Joey. Which means, this was the new babysitter for Angie.

She seemed surprised, she raised her eyebrows and sat the cup down on the counter, "Uh, hi. Um, I'm Veronica and you must be Craig. Joey mentioned you,"

"That was cool of him."

She walked over to the counter and picked up a ticket and handed it to Craig, "A girl came by this morning. She said she didn't have time to call and to give this to you when I seen you and that she's sorry," Veronica watched him carefully as he eyed the ticket she just handed him. "I didn't know if you were awake or even here so..."

To be fair, Craig felt disappointed that Ellie had bailed on the local show. Maybe something came up, maybe he was starting to cling to her too much.

"Angie, go upstairs and get dressed for dance. I'll take you for lunch after and your dad should be home by then," Veronica instructed her, she could barely finish what she was saying before Angie started to race to her room.

"I can come along if you'd like," Craig offered, his day was clearly not going as planned anyway, "I mean, I have the next few days off."

Veronica smiled, "Sure, I could definitely use the company, some of those moms are intimidating."

Angie made her way downstairs, "I'm ready!"

The three made their way to the door, Angie made sure to tell Craig how excited she was that he was coming. Once settled into Veronica's black Audi S4, she handed Craig a big CD case and told him to look through it and put in one that stuck out to him. Veronica turned on the car, pulled away from the curb and headed towards the dance studio.

Craig liked what he found in the CD case, there was mostly mixed CDs with big girly writing scribbled all over with flowers, hearts, etc, but also had works from the likes of Green Day, Nirvana, Blink-182, Taking Back Sunday, and Brand New. He closed his eyes and selected one of the mixed CDs by random, excited by what he would hear.

A Sum 41 song was the first to play, Craig found himself smiling as she drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel. Angie chatted about her dance teacher and her friends she would see, mostly trying to catch Craig up on what he's missed while he was working.

"Alright, Ang, I'll get you checked in and I'll be sitting in the same place as Wednesday," Veronica said as she pulled into the parking lot. She quickly found a space, put it in park, and shut off the car before rushing Angie and Craig into the dance studio. Once inside, Angie hurried into her class while Veronica and Craig checked her in at the front desk. The front desk lady gave them the okay and pointed them towards the viewing area which was just a room with a few vending machines and two sets of small bleachers that faced a window that looked into Angie's classroom.

"Thanks for keeping me company," Veronica lightly nudged him, "at least I will have one familiar face once school starts up."

Craig chuckled, "Yeah, Degrassi can definitely be...interesting, but you can count on me."

They chose to sit at the top of the first set of bleachers, it wasn't as full as the others.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, you're not too bad," he poked her side.

He felt completely at ease with her, granted they had only met an hour and a half ago, it seemed right. He wasn't upset that Ellie bailed, he no longer cared that Ashley had forgotten his existence while in England, he felt at home for the first time in weeks. He didn't want that feeling to go away.

Veronica laughed, "I don't know if I should be offended or not."

He smiled, "So, since I have that extra ticket now, would you want to go to the concert with me?It starts at eight so..."

Veronica smiled and nodded, "I'd love that."


	2. Chapter 2

**Two;**

 _Tonight will change our lives, it's so good to be by your side_

 _(The Great Escape-Boys Like Girls)_

During Angie's dance class, Craig told her about his band and how much he loved photography, never once mentioning Ashley. In turn, Veronica told Craig about how her transfer from Bardell to Degrassi was due to her parent's recent divorce.

"Maybe it'll be for the good," Craig smiled at her.

She smiled, too, "It's looking good, as of now."

After dance class, they went to the Dot for lunch per Craig's suggestion and by the time they returned to the house, Joey was home.

"You did awesome today, Ang," Veronica gave her a high five before she rushed to welcome Joey.

"So, meet me back here in a couple hours and we'll head to the show?" Craig smiled.

"Of course! I can't wait," Veronica told him before collecting her pay from Joey.

Craig offered to walk her out and she accepted. Not only did he open the front door for her but also her car door.

"I want to thank you for being so nice to me, really," She looked down at her feet then quickly back up at him.

"Thank _you_ for letting me tag along today and for agreeing to come to the show with me tonight," Craig put his hands in his pockets.

It was quiet for just a minute.

"I'll see you soon," She said quietly.

Craig nodded and backed up from her car just a little bit so she could shut her door and drive way. Once her car disappeared down the road, Craig went inside and once he shut the door he found that Joey was waiting for him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Seems like Angie isn't the only one who really likes the new babysitter," Joey raised his eyebrows at him.

"She's cool, Joey," Craig shrugged, "she likes a lot of the same things I do."

"And what about Ashley?"

Craig kept quiet for a moment. He had tried so hard to keep Ashley home and when that failed he tried to go to England with her. Which also obviously failed. He and Ashley had been through a lot so he wouldn't be surprised if he pushed her away. He figured if she was going to ignore him, he would return the favor.

"I mean, she can't be bothered to keep her promises and even acknowledge me," Craig finally spoke up, "I can't spend my whole Summer waiting around for her to call."

Joey nodded, "I understand Craig, I do, I just don't want you to relive the whole Manny-Ashley thing.

"I know, I could at least use a friend right now," Craig patted Joey's shoulder, "and possibly a shower."

Craig moved past him and made his way upstairs and Joey found himself laughing a little bit. He had certainly had his fair share of love triangles, mostly with Caitlin Ryan at the center.

Since Ashley left, Craig would usually hover over the phone and leave his email open on his computer. When he went upstairs to shower, he didn't even look at his computer. He felt the stereotypical first date butterflies as he got ready, regardless if it wasn't really a date.

Two hours later, Craig found himself watching the clock as the minutes ticked by. He was so focused on the clock that when the doorbell finally rang it startled him a little. He took a deep breath before getting up and going to answer the door. He was definitely nervous and it's been a little bit since he's actually felt this nervous.

When he opened the door, he found himself smiling at the sight of her, she had a jean skirt, a black tank top on topped off with a pair of black ballet flats.

"You ready?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah," As much as he wanted to express his actual excitement, he was afraid of scaring her off. They walked to her car, she had offered to drive to the show earlier that day. Craig even opened her door for her.

Veronica laughed, "Why thank you, kind sir."

He laughed, too, "No problem, my lady."

Once she was settled in, he shut the door behind her and hurried to the passenger side.

She handed him the CD case from earlier before starting the car, "You know the drill."

It wasn't that picking the CD made him overjoyed, it was she was content with whatever he chose, she wasn't looking for a fight. Most importantly, she wasn't hovering. He hadn't quite told her that he was bi-polar, but she does know about him going to group twice a week. Maybe easing her into it will allow for her to treat him like a normally as opposed to treating him like he lives in a bubble.

He slipped in another mixed CD and Brand New spilled out of her speakers. The venue was maybe fifteen minutes away in more towards the Scarborough area.

Craig zipped the CD case shut, "So, tell me more about Bardell?"

Veronica took a deep breath, "Let's just say I didn't leave without any destruction. My mother no longer speaks to me and I keyed my ex-boyfriend's car."

He nodded slowly, "Wow."

"They were both garbage people anyway," Veronica shrugged.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three;**

 _I fell in love with a girl at the rock show_

 _(The Rock Show-Blink-182)_

"Garbage people, huh?" Craig said, he's had his fair share of garbage people from his experience with his dad alone.

Craig could see her biting her lip before she spoke, she slowed down at a stop light and quickly glanced at him, "I don't want you to think worse of me than you already do."

Veronica looked back ahead just before the light changed to green.

"I won't push you to do or say anything you don't want to," Craig smiled.

"With that attitude, we're going to get along nicely," Veronica laughed almost as if she laughed as a sign of relief, "tell me more about this band, though."

"Right, I actually hadn't heard of them until Kevin Smith recommended them. He said that Sleeping Fiction is a mix of Taking Back Sunday, The Used and, like, Blink-182. He got me tickets to get me in the mindset to write more music for the movie."

Veronica nodded, "Interesting. And the girl?"

"That would be Ellie Nash," Craig could sense a little bit of jealousy hinted at in her voice. He didn't feel weird about it, in fact it made him feel good about himself. "she's just a friend. No more, no less."

"So you're telling me that someone as attractive as you isn't taken," Veronica smiled.

Without hesitating, Craig smiled, too, "Maybe the right one hasn't come around, yet."

No mention of Ashley, not even a second thought about her. Craig felt abandoned by her doing who knows what in England. So, Craig felt like he needed to take every opportunity he could.

"You'll want to turn right on the road right after this golf course," Craig pointed up ahead of them, "parking is around back."

She nodded as she followed his directions. Parking wasn't as impossible to find as she had expected, thankfully, and got a decently close spot. After putting the car in park and shutting off the engine, she looked over at Craig and smiled. "You ready?"

"Absolutely," he responded.

The two unbuckled and got out of the car. Veronica locked her car before putting her keys in her pocket before making their way back up to the front of the club. There was a small line at the door with a few minutes left until the doors opened. They found their place behind a group of guys that looked like they belonged to the rowdiest fraternity at Toronto University. When Craig noticed that the guys in front of them looked like they were getting antsy, he immediately reached for Veronica's hand.

She looked up at him and blushed, she didn't say anything but Craig could tell she felt a little uneasy. So, he squeezed her hand for reassurance. The line started to move forward and Craig felt relieved that the guys in front of them had managed to keep their cool. At the door, the bouncer took their tickets and gave them under eighteen wristbands after he checked their IDs.

Once inside, they could hear someone warming up on the drums as Craig led her into the crowd, not once letting go of her hand. Hardly any time passed when the lights dimmed down and the opening band took the stage. The crowd cheered loudly and those who had drinks raised them as they cheered. Veronica started to dance along with the music despite not knowing any of their music. Craig paid more attention to her than to the crowd and finally found himself dancing with her.

She faced him and smiled while they danced together. Then that moment was the moment Craig went out on a whim and went with his gut. He pulled her closer to him before leaning in and kissing her. Veronica went with it until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned towards the other person and found someone she didn't think she'd see again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Four;**

 _Am I more than you bargained for yet?_

 _(Sugar, We're Going Down-Fall Out Boy)_

The blond haired guy towered over Veronica and Craig's initial reaction was to defend her until she shoved his hand away and snapped back at the guy.

"Don't touch me, Ryan," She crossed her arms and tried to turn her attention back to Craig.

"Does he know how messed up you are, Ronnie?" Ryan continued to provoke her.

That's when Craig finally interjected, "Come on, man, that's a little uncalled for yeah? Why don't we all just cool it and enjoy the show?"

Craig just wanted to enjoy his time with Veronica he didn't care what this guy had to say. They both had things they didn't know about each other, they literally met this morning. But they were just having fun.

"Cool it? No, do you think I was calm and cool when I woke up to find my car scratched to hell? What about when I had to show my mother because I couldn't personally afford to fix it?" Ryan grew louder the longer he spoke.

Veronica scoffed, "Don't act like I scratched your car for no reason. You weren't even home, Ryan, you were at Jessica's house. More specifically in her bed."

Craig felt a little shocked never mind the concert that was going on.

"I couldn't handle your drama anymore, V," Ryan pointed out. He, unfortunately, had a point. A big reason that Veronica left Bardell was that word spread fast. When her parents fought or had any issue the kids at school knew all about it either before her or the next day after it happened.

"So instead of being there for me, you slept with my best friend. Best way to go about it," Veronica rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation right now in front of Craig. So much for her withholding some information so she wouldn't freak him out.

"I couldn't do that," Ryan admitted.

That's when she felt her face get hot and her eyes started to burn, she lost all of her anger and it quickly turned into pity, "You were embarrassed of me, weren't you?"

Ryan didn't have to answer she could see his answer written on his face.

"There's a check in the mail for your car," She mumbled quickly before turning and nearly running away from Ryan and Craig both. She needed to get out of there before she lost it in front of everyone.

Veronica pushed her way through the crowd as fast as she could. Craig could enjoy the show and she would wait outside on him. She wouldn't strand him at the club, that wasn't fair to him. She felt a slight relief once she passed the bouncer and was greeted with the warm night. With relief came the tears she fought to hold back. She had to clear her mind. She found the nearest bench which was in front of building a couple doors down.

She sat down quickly, seeing Ryan wasn't at the top of her list of things to do tonight but letting him get under her skin like that was definitely at the bottom. She swiped at the tears that were falling but knew she was only ruining her makeup.

"Are you okay, Veronica?" It was Craig. He sat down next to her.

Veronica looked over at him and her voice broke, "Yeah."

Craig pulled her into a hug and she lost it. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into his chest. He tucked her hair behind her ear so it was out of her way and he studied the multiple piercings that littered her right ear. He let her cry into him; not because he felt awkward or unsure of what to do. Actually, it was quite the opposite for once.

A few minutes later, Veronica seemed to regain composure and she sat up. Not because she wanted him to stop hugging her but to give him some air.

"I'm sorry," She bit her lip but when she looked up to find a faint smile on his face. "I didn't mean to ruin your night or anything I can take you home…"

Craig shook his head, "No, I'm here for you. If you want to talk or not. We've got time."

Craig was determined not to mess things up with her; he needed to do something right.

"Look, Ryan and I…we were together because it was almost natural for us to be," She picked at her cuticles, "Like, him, Jess, a guy named Nate and I had been best friends since diapers. Jess and Nate had been on and off since like the seventh grade and Ryan was just there…"

Craig grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze for reassurance, "You don't owe me an explanation if you're not ready."

Veronica inhaled sharply, "No, I need to. I feel like I can trust you, which would be a first in a while."

"You got it," Craig nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"All of our moms were friends, too, it started at birthing class that whole ordeal. Eventually it was like a book club kind of thing they did. My mom was always busy with work or with her extra stuff, it was like she was never home. She eventually started skipping the book club and that's when word started to spread. Turns out my mom kept her assistant position because the boss was fond of her," She rolled her eyes. She hadn't been able to talk to a non-biased person about this at all, it felt good to get everything off her chest, "My dad found out when he intercepted a message on the answering machine from her boss."

"Wow," Craig eyed her closely, "I'm sorry."

She sighed heavily, she felt a weight lift off her chest, "I didn't want to be too much for you."

Craig pulled her into an another hug and kissed her forehead, "I have my problems, too, Veronica."


	5. Chapter 5

**Five;**

 _You've got the spark I've been lookin' for_

 _(Five Minutes to Midnight-Boys Like Girls)_

Craig began with telling her about his dad and his connection with Joey. Then, he went into telling her about being diagnosed as bi-polar. He didn't think he'd do it this early on, but it felt like the most appropriate time to do so.

"People tell me I'm sick but most of the time I'm okay and just tired of being treated like glass," Craig sighed, "so, the one thing I ask is not to be hovered. I need at least one person I can go to."

Veronica nodded, "You got it."

"I had my fair share of girl problems but that seems like nothing in comparison," He let out a small laugh.

"Now," Veronica stood up and offered her hand, "I don't feel like going back in there. As much as I want to enjoy the show with you, I can't be in there with him."

Craig accepted her hand and stood up, "We'll explore! We'll start with that diner across the street because I could eat!"

Veronica agreed and they waited for a break in traffic before crossing over. Inside, the two talked about everything they could think of. They shared a big plate of cheese fries and Craig had a chocolate shake while Veronica had vanilla. Veronica felt relieved now that everything was out in the open with him.

"I only have two more songs to get through and then this whole Kevin Smith thing will be over," Craig said before taking a big drink of shake, "I don't know if I'm sad or relieved."

"I'm sure the end result would definitely be cool," Veronica smiled at him, "And then what do you have in store for the Summer?"

"Well," He smiled as he reached across the table and offered his hand to her, "I'll have more spare time that I could maybe spend with you?"

Veronica happily took his hand, "As long as you don't get tired of me, I will gladly spend the Summer with you," She paused for a moment and then laughed, "When I'm not taking care of your step sister."

"Right," Craig nodded.

The two finished up at the diner and made their way back to Veronica's car. They would beat what traffic the show did cause because the show still had about an hour left on it. On the way back, Craig told her about his interest in photography and all of his favorite places to photograph.

"Maybe you could show me in person one day?" She asked him hopefully.

"Absolutely," Craig said excitedly, "I'll even drive."

"Sounds like a deal for me," Veronica laughed.

Craig was happy that his only focus wouldn't be just his music anymore. Sure he loved playing with Downtown Sasquatch and he wanted to be a famous rockstar eventually but he still loved photography, it was his first passion.

"So, enough about me," Craig said, "What kind of hobbies do you like? You know, except for babysitting and good music?"

Veronica smiled, "I'm not super artistic, unfortunately. I did cheer for a little while at my old school but I haven't in a couple years. I know you said except good music but I have pretty good mix CD making skills."

"Mix CD making skills?" Craig tilted his head slightly, fully intrigued by what she had said.

"Yeah. From the track list and the doodles that aren't the greatest but could be worse. Craig, you've seen my CD collection I made a lot of the mixed CDs."

Craig nodded, "Since your skills are so good, would you make me one?"

"I'll see what I can do," She smiled.

Craig and Veronica made small talk until they eventually reached Joey's house. She put her car in park and waited for Craig to unbuckle and so they could say their goodbyes. It wouldn't really be a goodbye since she would be at Joey's again at least Monday to watch Angie and they also traded instant messenger screen names earlier that night.

"Thanks for everything today," He unbuckled and then looked over at her. "Seriously, it was one of my better nights of my Summer."

Veronica nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, "Even if it was a little problematic?"

"Everything happens for a reason," He shrugged, "I don't want to go but I know I have to."

"We have the Summer," Veronica reminded him.

Craig smiled, "Yeah, we do."

He placed his hand on her cheek before kissing her goodnight. "Goodnight, Veronica."

"Goodnight, Craig," She smiled as he got out of the car.

He shut the door and made his way to the porch, he waited for her to drive away before going inside.

Craig locked the front door when he finally went inside.

Joey was on his way upstairs, "Have a good night?"

Craig's grin was undeniable, "Yeah, yeah I did."

"Good," Joey walked with Craig upstairs, "I'm happy for you. Happy looks good on you."

Craig nodded. Joey was destroyed when Caitlin left him for Los Angeles. Maybe he'll find happiness again soon. They said goodnight and Craig went into his bedroom. He immediately signed onto instant messenger and pulled out his notebook while he waited.

Veronica didn't immediately log on but while Craig was waiting, he managed to finish two songs. Two songs that made more sense than anything he even remotely tried to write for Kevin Smith. She logged on briefly to tell him that she wanted to talk but couldn't because of her dad and she had wanted to tell him goodnight one more time.

Veronica had signed off by telling him she would talk to him when she got up and then she was gone. By the time Craig went to bed, he had fixed the other three songs he had written for the movie. He was finally excited to show Kevin as opposed to being embarrassed of what he had written.


	6. Chapter 6

**Six;**

 _Bottle up old love and throw it out to sea_

 _(Paper Heart-All-American Rejects_

The next morning, Craig was eager to check his messages to see if Veronica had gotten online yet. And she had. However, instead of the long conversation that Craig had hoped for, she only informed him she couldn't be online long because she was technically still unpacking her bedroom but he was more than welcome to come by if he had wanted. Before signing off she offered up her address if he had actually decided to do so.

He had already decided he would the moment she had offered it. Craig wanted to show her the songs that were written last night but more importantly he just wanted to see her. He got dressed before going downstairs where he found Joey in the kitchen and Angie was seated on the couch.

"I was just about to come get you," Joey said when he noticed Craig, "You have company in the garage."

Craig was momentarily confused before realizing that Veronica had taken Ellie's place at the show last night. "Ellie?"

Joey nodded before Craig made his way out to the garage. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Ellie which would be out of the ordinary for him. Ellie had been there for Craig when he started at the same group she attended. She helped him through and he greatly appreciated it and he gained a good friend out of it. A good friend was Craig's only intention with Ellie.

He opened the door to the garage and he was greeted by her smile.

"Hey," She quickly tucked her hair behind her ear and readjusted on the old love seat, "Sorry for having to bail out of no where on you yesterday."

Craig shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded, "It's cool, the show ended up being lame anyway."

"I mean going by yourself would be lame," Ellie watched his reaction and then she realized he wasn't alone last night, "Unless you weren't by yourself."

He shook his head, "Angie's new babysitter is new in town so I offered to be her friend. You know, I remember being the new kid once."

Talking with Ellie, Craig began to feel the emotions he was able to forget about with Veronica. He liked the feel of having a clean slate with someone. However, he couldn't ice out everyone he's ever known to avoid those emotions but it was still strange to him.

"The redhead that answered the door yesterday?" Ellie said.

Craig could only nod.

"Well, if you like her maybe she's great," Ellie said, Craig could tell she was forcing enthusiasm. She knew as well as he did that his track record with girls was garbage.

"So why _did_ you bail on me last night?" Craig took a seat behind the drum set. Not that he would've changed too much about last night but Ellie was still his friend.

"Marco needed my help," Ellie wasn't telling the whole truth but she cracked before Craig could take notice, "and I had a conversation from England."

Craig's heart dropped. Even though he hadn't thought much about Ashley since he got to know Veronica and he much preferred her to Ashley; it still hurt. He had tried to get a hold of her for the longest time with no answer.

"Is this the first time she talked to you?" He said softly. Craig had hung out with Ellie pretty regularly with Ashley and in group.

Ellie remained quiet, not wanting to hurt Craig more than she already had by keeping this information from him.

"No."

Craig quickly stood up, "Look, El, I actually have to meet with Kevin's music guy today so, I gotta go."

She stood up, too, "I'm sorry if I upset you."

Craig had to get out of there, he didn't care if he just lied to Ellie or not, "You're fine. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure, good luck." Ellie said as she followed him out of the garage.

They parted their separate ways and Craig headed towards Veronica's house, it was only a couple streets over. When she gave him the address he half recognized it because it's the same road that his ex-best friend Spinner Mason lived on. Although Craig and Spinner haven't been the greatest friends since everyone found out he was partially responsible for Jimmy Brooks getting shot by Rick; he had spent plenty of time there to recognize the road.

It took him maybe about ten minutes to get there and the entire time he felt flustered over Ashley only speaking to Ellie. When he finally reached the road he immediately recognized Veronica's car parked in the driveway. But Veronica's car wasn't the only one near by that he recognized, there was also a obnoxiously orange Honda Civic that was parked out in front of the house directly next to her's.

The house next to Veronica's belonged to Spinner and that was without a doubt Jay Hogart's car.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven;**

 _I'm sure as hell the happiest I've ever been_

 _(Vegas-All Time Low)_

Craig wasted no time getting up to the porch and ringing the doorbell. He didn't wait very long either. Veronica hadn't bothered to get dressed yet, she was wearing her pajama bottoms and a tank top. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail.

"You're here!" She said excitedly and greeted him with a hug.

"I'm here with any unpacking assistance you need or just company," He smiled, too.

"Unfortunately, I've put off unpacking my room," Veronica admitted, "but if you're willing to help, I'll gladly take it. My dad's been hounding me to do it and is expecting it to be done by the time he gets back from Hamilton Monday."

"That's a little less than two days from now."

"Exactly," Veronica led him upstairs.

Once up the stairs, her room was the first door on the right across from a bathroom. Her house wasn't huge but it was a small step above the townhouse he lived in with Joey.

Veronica stopped in front of her closed door, "Are you sure you're ready to help with this disaster?"

Craig laughed, "I don't have anything else I'd rather be doing today anyway. Plus, once this is finished I have a couple things I want to show you."

She was intrigued by what he said and hadn't quite opened the door, "What's that?"

"It's a surprise, you'll know once we've completed it," Craig smiled, "Call it motivation."

"Okay," She sighed as she opened her bedroom door.

Her room was a light gray color with scattered boxes around the floor and on top of her desk that faced the window. Multicolored hangers littered the purple bed sheets.

"It could be worse," Craig shrugged, "We'll get this done."

"If you say so," She smiled.

Four and a half hours and a few mixed CDs later, there were only one small box left.

Veronica sighed as sat on the bed, "I really appreciate your help."

Craig sat down next to her and handed her the box, "No problem but you have one more box to go."

She lifted the lid and tossed it aside. Craig noticed it was half full with photographs of various sizes, a Polaroid instant camera and it's film. Veronica sat the film and camera outside of the box and and put the lid back on.

"The rest can wait until later," Veronica smiled she leaned over and slid the box underneath her bed. While she was doing that, Craig grabbed the camera and loaded the film.

He turned the camera on, "Smile."

Instead of smiling, Veronica stuck her tongue out and made a funny face. The flash went off and she laughed.

"That also works," He laughed, too, it felt nice to be behind a camera again. Even if it wasn't what he usually used. The picture dispensed from the camera and he waved it back and forth while it developed.

He showed it off to her once it was fully developed, "What do you think?"

"Not bad," Veronica admitted as she took the camera from him.

"Not bad? I like it! I honestly forgot how much I really enjoyed photography," Craig looked at the picture fondly. He was happy.

"You keep it then," Veronica looked down at the camera in her hands. "Seriously."

Craig smiled before pulling out his wallet and tucking it away in the slot next to his driver's license. He never really kept pictures of girls in his wallet, he had some of Ashley and of Manny Santos in his locker at a few points in time. But never in his wallet.

"However," Veronica held the camera up, "It's your turn."

"What?" He laughed. The flash went off and camera whirred as it dispensed the picture of him mid-laugh.

"Laughs are usually genuine. I felt it was the best moment," She handed the developed picture over to him, "See?"

Craig did see it. If he would've glanced at it he wouldn't have recognized himself. He stood up and walked to her vanity and tucked the picture of him in between the mirror and the frame. "I want you to have this."

Veronica stood up and joined him at the vanity and put her hands on her hips, "Seems fair."

Craig pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "You also earned the surprise I have for you. We'll have to travel back to my house but we can come back here later if you want."

"Yes! I'm excited what this surprise is," Veronica grabbed her bag and put the camera and film in it, "Let's go."

Veronica changed out of her pajama bottoms and into a pair of shorts. She slipped on a pair of sandals. She shut off all the lights in the house before leaving and Craig convinced her to walk to his house.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight;**

 _I feel like a hero and you are my heroine._

 _(Hero/Heroine-Boys Like Girls)_

Craig held her hand the entire way to his house. Once there, they immediately went inside the garage.

"This is pretty impressive," Veronica said as she plopped down on the love seat that Ellie sat on earlier this morning.

"Joey's been pretty cool about it," Craig picked up his acoustic guitar, brought it over to the love seat and sat down, "It helps that he was in a band when he was my age, I guess."

"Joey was in a band?" Veronica giggled.

Craig nodded, "Yeah, it's actually sometimes a long and very embarrassing story. I love him to death but I don't ask him about it."

Veronica gave him a thumbs up, "Gotcha."

Craig adjusted the guitar in his lap, "So, writing the music for Kevin's movie has been a little hard for me. But after the show and spending time with you I felt…inspired. For the first time this Summer. When we logged off messenger last night, I managed to not only fix three of my previously written songs for the movie but also completely write two new ones. The new ones are the important ones because they were fully inspired by you."

Then, he started to play the first song. He focused on playing the correct chords because he was afraid of messing up from a mix of excitement and nervousness. He only left a few short moments between songs. Once he finished the second song, he leaned the guitar against the arm of the love seat and folded his hands in his lap.

Veronica was quiet for a moment, she reached out and held his hands, "I inspired those?"

Craig ran his thumbs over the back of hers, "Yeah, I mean, I still have to show it to Kevin's music guy so it might change a little, but I wanted to show you it first."

Veronica smiled before leaning forward and kissing him. Craig has been sweeter to her in the two days they've known each other than Ryan had their whole relationship. She was ready to embrace her fresh start but having Craig by her side made her feel more at ease.

They spent most of the day in the garage listening to music and talking about whatever came to mind. Craig made up a couple of silly songs to sing to her and even tried to show her the basics of playing an acoustic guitar. Of course, he used the typical move where he guided her hand from behind her. Veronica didn't seem to mind at first but she eventually gave up trying to play.

Veronica put the guitar down and turned towards him, "I think I'm just going to enjoy you play all the music. My fingers are far too clumsy and you're far better than I could ever attempt to be."

Craig chuckled, "You'll get the hang of it, I promise. I wasn't born playing the way I do, I had to practice."

"I'll be your biggest fan from the side," Veronica touched the side of his face, "Cheering is something I at least know how to do."

Craig liked that she let him shine in something he does best and that it didn't feel like she was constantly trying to hitch a ride onto his star.

"So does this mean I get to see some of your cheering skills then?" Craig joked.

Veronica glanced at the room, "Not in here, I'd break something for sure. But definitely another time, promise."

Craig raised his eyebrows, "I'll hold you to it."

"We'll see about that," Veronica giggled.

Later that evening, Craig walked her home. The street lights had already turned on and it had started to sprinkle outside just before they left Craig's house.

"We're outside now, you gonna show me those skills now?" Craig said as they walked, taking the same route they did earlier.

"You're not going to let it go unless I do, are you?" Veronica questioned.

"Nope," Craig said.

"Fine," She sighed lightly before getting a running start, she was a little out of practice but she knew she could still do it. She made sure to keep it short with starting with a cart wheel and into a back handspring. When she landed, she was facing him. Veronica raised her arms over her head as if to say 'ta da'.

Craig clapped, "See there's no way I could do that."

"I wasn't born knowing how, it took practice," Veronica mocked him from earlier.

"You think you're funny don't you," Craig raised his eyebrows at her and smiled.

"Yup," She smiled, too, "Clearly you do, too."

"You think you'll cheer when school starts?" Craig asked her as they started to walk again.

Veronica shrugged, "I don't know, really. Like, I doubt it but there's a chance. Like I loved cheerleading but at my old school it was, like, vital that I had to do it. I didn't have an option. It made or break some of the relationships I had."

"Well, if you decide to or not," Craig grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze, "I'll support you in whatever you choose to do."

Veronica laughed softly, "You mean like a cheerleader's cheerleader?"

"If that's what you want to call it…" Craig said.

"Thank you, though, I appreciate it."

When they reached her house, Jay's car was still in front of Spinner's house with the both of them standing by the side of the car.

"Hey, neighbor!" Spinner shouted to them as he and Jay waved at Veronica. Then, he took notice of Craig,"And Craig."

"Hi!" She smiled and waved back.

Craig and Spinner weren't on speaking terms and he never really liked Jay but he wasn't going to make a scene. But that was all that was said them, thankfully. Craig walked her up to the porch and stood by her while she fished for her house key. She unlocked the door but didn't open it.

"I'm not ready for you to go," Veronica admitted to him. She looked down at her shoes almost as if she was worried about his response.

Craig lifted her chin gently so she'd look him in his eyes, "Then I don't have to. I'm right here."

"But you'll have to go home sometime tonight, though," Veronica said softly.

"No, if you want me here tonight. I will make it happen." Craig said before kissing her softly.

Craig called Joey when he was inside to tell him he'd be staying with a friend tonight, which wasn't a lie, and Joey didn't question it. Not to Craig at least. This would be the first of many sleepovers of the Summer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine;**

 _A touch of redemption, a hint of elation, a recipe for disaster_

 _(Circles-All Time Low)_

Waking up next to Veronica made Craig feel like he was on cloud nine. Monday rolled around and he finally showed Kevin and his music guy what he had came up with. Granted that production technically wrapped Saturday but Kevin gave him a few extra days considering he was struggling. Which definitely paid off.

Veronica seemed to be spending most of her time at the Jeremiah house between babysitting Angie and hanging out with Craig. However, when she couldn't be around Craig would spend time with Ellie, who he was still close with. But he almost always found every chance he could to spend the night with Veronica. He even opened up to her about being bi-polar and she was more than accepting of him. They never defined what their relationship was but they both didn't find it necessary.

Summer was ending as school and Craig's birthday was two weeks away. His best friend Marco Del Rossi would be returning home from his stint in Africa and everything would be returning to normal. Which means Ashley would also be returning and Craig. He had already decided once Ashley was home he'd call it quits officially. Craig just wanted to do it in person, he wanted to do it the right way in his eyes. He wanted his attention on Veronica and only her. Since it had already been that way all Summer.

That afternoon, Craig had went clothes shopping with Veronica for school and they returned later on back to Craig's house to find Ellie waiting in the living room for Craig.

"I'm glad you had fun today, V," Craig said before kissing her cheek. He didn't notice Ellie until she cleared her throat.

"Uh, hi, Ellie," Craig quickly shoved both of his hands into his pockets, "Veronica this is my friend Ellie."

Veronica smiled at her but Ellie didn't return the gesture.

"Angie's babysitter, right?" Ellie crossed her arms.

"And she's been a good friend to me, too," Craig exchanged nervous glances between the two girls.

Veronica wasn't offended at what he said but she was confused by why he was so nervous.

"Funny, I don't kiss my good friend like that," Ellie retorted. Although she had recently developed feelings for Craig, she wouldn't do that to Ashley, "And she doesn't look at all like Ashley."

That deepened Veronica's confusion and made Craig's face go pale. Before Craig could interject, Veronica spoke up.

"And Ashley is…?"

"Craig's girlfriend who was away for the Summer and should be back by the time school starts." Ellie scoffed.

Veronica felt the blood rush to her ears and her cheeks. She felt angry and embarrassed. "You had a girlfriend this whole time?"

Craig was quiet for a few moments. He never intended on hurting Veronica that was the last thing he had ever wanted to do. "She hasn't spoken to me once over the Summer and I-"

"And you didn't say anything to me before you slept with me?" Tears welled up in her green eyes. She didn't give him a chance to respond before she tried to make a break for the door.

But Craig followed behind her. "V, please, listen to me I was going to break up with her once she got home…"

The tears were falling freely down her face smudging whatever eye make up she had on, "The point is that you lied to me when I told you everything. You made it seem like you were telling me the whole truth. But I'm an idiot for believing that someone could actually be on my side and be honest with me."

"Veronica, you mean more to me than anyone ever has," Craig reached for her hand. He felt his entire world crumbling from beneath his feet. He thought his luck with girls had finally changed but he obviously screwed that up.

She yanked her hand away, "The thing is, if I knew the honest situation, I would've understood and waited until you sorted everything out. But I find out from a friend of yours and not you."

"Then let me fix this," Craig begged. "Please let me."

"I cared about you, Craig," Her voice cracked, "But you so easily lied to me. I-I can't do that again."

Veronica turned to leave, she needed to get out of there before she gave into him. After Ryan she promised that she wouldn't let another guy lie or treat her less than she deserved. This was a true test in her promise.

"Please don't leave me, Veronica," Craig started to cry, his voice cracking with every word.

She didn't say anything until she got to her car, "I'll see you at school, I guess."

Veronica got into her car and shut the door and that's when Craig lost it. His legs felt like jelly and all but completely gave out on him. His mouth dry and his face was hot with tears. She was hesitant to leave but when she finally did Craig felt like he was going to be sick. He stumbled back into the house and Ellie was still standing in the living room.

"I'm sorry, Craig," She started.

"I just need to be alone," Craig headed up the stairs to his room not bothering to look at her once. He felt sort of this way the first time he and Ashley broke up but definitely not when she left for England. He fully understood why Joey reacted to Caitlin's leave the way he did.

He pulled a mixed CD from the stack on his desk. It was one that she made for him at the beginning of the Summer and admired the doodles and the words 'For when I'm not around' written in her familiar bubbly handwriting. He popped it in his CD player and crawled into bed while the first track played. Craig cried until he felt numb.

Meanwhile, Veronica had went immediately home she tried to stop crying but she hadn't felt this betrayed since Ryan. Even then she cared more for Craig than she did Ryan. She quickly pulled into her driveway, put her car in park, and cried more. Her dad was away for work again so she would be alone feeling this way.

There was a sharp knock on her passenger window. She didn't look up until the person knocked a second time. It was Jay.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten;**

 _Left your t-shirt in my room; still smells of you_

 _(Make-Up Smeared Eyes- Automatic Loveletter)_

Veronica had met Jay officially earlier in the Summer when he had helped her fix a flat tire before she headed to Craig's house. They didn't say much but casual small talk and she was grateful for his help. He had told her to stop by Tony's Garage where he worked and he'd hook her up with a new tire. When she got said tire was the second and last time they had spoken.

She rolled down her window and he peered in, resting his left arm on the roof of the car for support.

"You okay? Before school year meltdown?" He chuckled lightly.

Veronica wiped at her eyes, "I'll be fine."

Jay obviously knew about her involvement with Craig. "He messed up, didn't he?"

She could only nod.

There was a loud prolonged honking noise that seemed to catch Jay's attention.

"Look, I'm on my way to a car show, it's just me and Spin, there's room if you want to tag along and maybe take your mind off things. How does that sound?"

Veronica was quiet for for a minute, "Sure."

He tapped her car quickly, "Sweet! You'll have a blast, promise."

Jay backed away from the window and she rolled her window back up before turning the ignition off and getting out. They walked over to his car and met with Spinner, who was waiting with the car door open.

Spinner exchanged looks with Jay before moving the passenger seat forward to let Veronica in. She got in and Spinner guided the seat back.

"Manning is an idiot, dude," Jay told Spinner before they both got into the car.

"Figures," Spinner scoffed.

While Veronica was on her way to the car show, Craig hadn't moved a muscle. He felt as if he had slept with his eyes open, they felt dry and sore. He heard his bedroom door creak open for the third time, Joey had been in and out checking on him since he and Angie got home.

"Craig, there's pizza waiting downstairs when you're ready," Joey said.

Craig slowly rolled over to face Joey, he was probably making him a nervous wreck.

Joey stayed in the doorway, "You want to talk about it?"

"I-I," Craig tried before clearing his scratchy throat, "I never told her about Ashley…"

"And she found out?" Joey crossed his arms. He wasn't fond of everything Ashley had put Craig through and he could tell how happy Veronica had made him.

"Ellie called me out on it," Craig sat up, "I was going to break up with Ash when she got back to town, though. I didn't want to be the bad guy by doing it over E-mail."

"It'll work out if it's meant to be," Joey tried to show him the silver lining of the situation, "She'll be back in a couple days to get her last check for babysitting Ang."

That gave Craig a little bit of hope, "Maybe I can fix things then."

"I hope so," Joey motioned for him to come with him, "It seemed like you really cared about her. Let's eat."

Craig heard Joey go downstairs before he rolled out of bed. When he got up he noticed her yellow shirt on top of the rest of his clean clothes. She had worn it the day they had an impromptu water balloon fight with Angie. The shirt got soaked and he offered a green t-shirt of his in exchange. He picked up the shirt and held it to his face. Despite being clean, it still smelled heavily of her of her coconut shampoo and her vanilla perfume she always wore.

It hit him hard. He already missed everything about her. Craig tossed the shirt on to his bed before going downstairs. He didn't want his sadness to effect anyone else but him. So he would put on a front and only be upset when he was alone. At least for now. At least until he fixed it. At least until there was nothing to be sad about.


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven;**

 _The whole night ends with a blur_

 _(Josey-Hey Monday)_

Veronica had planned on being mostly quiet and reserved on the trip. But Jay nor Spinner were having it. To keep her talking they asked her everything under the sun. From her favorite color to why she's home alone a lot. They never mentioned Craig directly to her but made sure she knew they were all ears if she just wanted to talk.

"So what grade are you guys in?" Veronica asked.

"We got into some trouble last year and got expelled," Jay peeked at her in his rear view mirror, "I've got my job at Tony's but Spin here is going back for his senior year, aren't ya?"

Spinner elbowed Jay, "I'm trying to put that in the past. I tried to get Jay to come back with me but he wouldn't."

"Is Degrassi _that_ bad?" Veronica leaned her head on the the back of Spinner's seat and looked at Jay.

Jay pulled up to the car show and found a place to park in the dirt, "School isn't my scene. This, however, is."

He put the car in park and got out. Veronica realized when she got out that what he meant by a car show was street racing. She wasn't sure where they were exactly but she recognized a few of the guys from school she never talked to milling around. Jay slung his arm lazily around her shoulder as if they had been friends forever. He pushed his sunglasses from his face up to his turned around baseball cap.

He looked to Spinner and then to Veronica, "I don't know about you two, but I could use a beer."

Spinner shrugged and Veronica had never drank before and it was something she seemed to avoid when she did attend a party. But with the luck she's been having maybe she should try something different for a change. Maybe what she thought was right wasn't working for her.

"Absolutely," Veronica said. Maybe after everything that happened with Craig this was exactly what she needed.

"See I knew you and I would get along great," Jay squeezed her shoulder lightly, "I bet the Montreal Boys would have some and I can guarantee they're here."

Jay led them directly to where he thought these guys would be. Sure enough they were exactly where Jay had thought. Spinner didn't interact with them as Jay did, he hung back and observed where as did a stereotypical 'bro' handshake with each of them before asking for a few beers.

They exchanged the beers for their company during the race. Jay made sure Veronica was comfortable with it before fully agreeing. She was fine as long as she stayed close to them. They were familiar faces to her. One of the guys brought a pickup truck for their group to tailgate in, Spinner was the first to climb in and Jay quickly followed. Veronica was hesitant until Jay offered his hand to pull her up into the truck.

"Come on," He grinned at her. His grin was much more mischievous in comparison to Craig's but not mischievous enough to alert her to stay away. It was almost in a charming and daring way, "It'll take your mind off of what a jerk Manning is."

Veronica immediately accepted his hand and let him pull her up into the truck. Spinner was already sitting on one side of the truck with one of the other guys. Spinner handed her a beer while Jay offered for her to sit next to him. She was nervous before but what Jay said reignited her heartache. It was never gone but it was just put on the back burner for the time being. Instead of tears, she was met with anger.

Veronica cracked the top of the beer can open, "You know I told him literally everything about me. He promised a lot to me and in return I learn he has a girlfriend."

"He didn't say anything to you about Ashley?" Spinner said after taking a drink.

Veronica shook her head. She had a hard time choking down the first bitter sip of her beer. She learned to accept it by the fourth drink.

"I'm not surprised," Spinner looked at Jay, "You wouldn't be the first one it's happened to. Just ask Manny Santos."

Veronica felt embarrassed, was Craig just waiting to humiliate her in front of the whole school? She responded to Spinner by chugging the rest of her beer. It shocked both Jay and Spinner when she did it.

Veronica picked at the tab, "I need another one."

"He messed you up good, didn't he?" Jay said as he passed her a fresh beer.

"He wouldn't be the first to do so," She said as she opened the can.

By the end of the night, Veronica had done her best to keep up with Spinner but she was laughable in comparison. Jay had stopped drinking a couple hours before the end of the races because he had to drive back.

"So tell me, sweetheart," Jay had to guide her back to the car, her cheeks were flushed red. She would go from talking a million miles a minute to silent like it was nothing, "Did you at least enjoy the end of your day?"

Veronica looked up at him lazily, "Yup."

When they reached Jay's car, he had to help her inside. Jay felt slightly guilty for getting her essentially trashed. Among one of the times she word vomited, she admitted to them that she hadn't drank before. But he was happy that she was no longer crying.

Spinner had fallen asleep with his head against the window leaving Veronica for Jay's only company.

"Can you take me to Craig's? I-I think I need to talk to him." Veronica finally spoke up.

"I think you need water and some sleep," Jay shook his head, "And more than likely some Advil."

"But-" Veronica started.

"You'll do something you would probably regret," Jay finished.

Veronica thought he was probably right but his word wouldn't stop her from IM'ing Craig when she got home. If she got the chance to.

"That's why I'm taking you both back to my place," Jay said, "I feel responsible for once and I don't want you to be hungover and alone."

"You don't have to do that," Veronica said softly.

"But I'm going to. First time I drank I ended up alone and it wasn't great," Jay told her.

She kept quiet for a while before thanking him for being there for her even though they hardly knew each other. They remained quiet after that until they reached Jay's small apartment. He shook Spinner awake before he got out of car. Once Spinner was out of the car, Jay helped Veronica out and led them inside. Spinner hit the couch as if he's at his own home but Veronica felt lost.

Jay showed Veronica the one and only bedroom. "You can have my bed, I'll figure something out."

She sat on his bed, "Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor in the living room if you want me to."

Jay ignored what she said while he dug through his dresser and pulled out a over-sized shirt and showed it to her, "If you want something more comfortable to wear."

She stood up to take the shirt and Jay immediately left the room so she could change. He was never this compassionate towards many people, especially newer people. But she clearly needed someone and Jay could always use a friend.


End file.
